Chickens Aren't the Only Ones

<p>Favorite author/illustrator Ruth Heller — whose many clever nonfiction books make learning science and language concepts easy — introduces children to egg-laying creatures in this colorful, rhyming extravaganza. Not only birds lay eggs, she explains, but reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and various other invertebrates do, too. There are even two mammals in this exclusive club: the spiny anteater and the duckbill platypus.</p><p>Dispelling the preconception that only moms are responsible for egg welfare, Heller points out such active fathers as the Siamese fighting fish and the seahorse.</p><p>Balance is everything in Heller's books, and once again the author has gotten it just right. Though she presents a hefty amount of information, including new vocabulary (try &quot;oviporous&quot; on for size), and facts to astound even relatively knowledgeable adults (did you know that not all eggs are egg-shaped, or even round?), she does so in such an accessible way that even young listeners will catch on.</p><p>Her bright, detailed pictures provide just the right amount of support to the minimal, rhyming text, and the result is a wonderful way to get young children excited about future science lessons.</p>

<p>Favorite author/illustrator Ruth Heller — whose many clever nonfiction books make learning science and language concepts easy — introduces children to egg-laying creatures in this colorful, rhyming extravaganza. Not only birds lay eggs, she explains, but reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, and various other invertebrates do, too. There are even two mammals in this exclusive club: the spiny anteater and the duckbill platypus.</p><p>Dispelling the preconception that only moms are responsible for egg welfare, Heller points out such active fathers as the Siamese fighting fish and the seahorse.</p><p>Balance is everything in Heller's books, and once again the author has gotten it just right. Though she presents a hefty amount of information, including new vocabulary (try &quot;oviporous&quot; on for size), and facts to astound even relatively knowledgeable adults (did you know that not all eggs are egg-shaped, or even round?), she does so in such an accessible way that even young listeners will catch on.</p><p>Her bright, detailed pictures provide just the right amount of support to the minimal, rhyming text, and the result is a wonderful way to get young children excited about future science lessons.</p>